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If you want to get fitter, stronger, or faster, ditch your boring, stale fitness “routine” and start making your body work harder than it’s used to.
You know what I’m talking about. That fitness routine that you’ve stuck with throughout the years? The one you remember like the back of your hand?
Well, that fitness routine is not helping you progress or get any better. But I’m guessing you already knew that.
According to the Law of Progressive Overload, for a muscle to grow, endurance to be built, strength to be gained, or progress to be seen, the body must be forced to handle tension above what it’s used to.
Put simply — to get bigger, faster, or stronger, you have to continually make your body work harder than it’s used to.
- If you’re used to running 2 miles, you need to run 2.25 miles to adapt to running longer distances slowly.
- If you’re used to bench pressing 100 lbs, you need to start bench pressing 105 lbs to force your body to handle heavier weights.
- If you’re used to cycling 50 miles, you need to start cycling 55 miles to increase the mileage your body is used to slowly.
Doing the same routine or workout every time will not help you make progress towards your goals.
Ross Edgley knows a thing or two about getting bigger, faster, and stronger. He’s run a full marathon while pulling a car attached to his waist, completed a triathlon while carrying a tree trunk, and even swam around Great Britain in 157 days.
This is what Ross has to say about boring fitness “routines”:
“People seem surprised when they plateau doing the same training routine — with the same repetition set scheme for several months. When this happens work, work, and work some more. “ — Ross Edgley
To start making progress, you have to stop doing the same thing over and over again. You need to break up with your stale fitness routine and start progressively doing more.
Small changes over time will give you the results you desire. Doing the same bland fitness routine or workout will not.
How to start taking action towards your goals
According to the Arndt–Schulz law, a principle developed by scientists to describe the relationship between simulation and its effects:
“Small doses stimulate, moderate doses inhibit, large doses kill.”
What this means is that small changes will yield greater results than huge, overhauling changes. If you want to start making progress towards your goals, ditch your boring fitness routine, and start doing something different.
Change things up. Do something offbeat. Unusual. Then start progressively doing more — more pushups, more miles, more time, more weight.
To get the body used to handle more stress, you have to actually give it more stress. Stop doing the same thing. Change up your routine and watch your fitness progress skyrocket.